


Touches Purple, Dancing in Gold.

by Linisen



Series: Purple Touch [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Ballroom Dancing, Confusion, Dancer Katsuki Yuuri, Dancer Victor Nikiforov, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Getting to Know Each Other, Happy Ending, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Smut, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:08:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26005444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linisen/pseuds/Linisen
Summary: Victor, a standard ballroom dancer, finds himself without a dance partner after the one he’s danced with his entire life retiers. No one seems like a good fit, until his dance teacher Lilia reaches out to her old friend Minako, who recommends her old student Yuuri Katsuki.But Yuuri’s not competing, and currently dancing at a studio known for its elitist mindset and closed doors. The only way to get to see him dance seems to be at a showcase being held for all dance studios, where he is to perform.Victor is intrigued and decides to go just to see him dance, all the while he continues caressing over his soulmate ring, the one that keeps showing the orange color for anxiety, echoing his soulmate's feelings.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Purple Touch [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2111127
Comments: 106
Kudos: 503
Collections: Yuri!!! On Ice Soulmates Week 2020, maazesfini





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for YOI Soulmate week - Day 4 - Emotions. A million thank yous to [ LittleDancer8 ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleDancer8/pseuds/LittleDancer8) for helping me with Ballroom knowledge as well a beta. I’ve taken some liberties with how a ballroom showcase works, but you’ll just have to go along with the ride. This story has three chapters and will update weekly. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

“What do you want to do going forward, Vitya?” Lilia asked. Victor stared down at the colorful soulmate ring etched into his skin, a calm blue right now, caressing his thumb over it. A smile curled on his lips at the sight, even if his heart was heavy. He wondered what his own ring showed right now, echoing feelings he barely had words for. Green for fear? No that wasn’t quite it. Deep blue for sadness maybe? A dim grey for numb? He wasn’t sure. Was his soulmate watching it right now? What were they thinking if they did? Were they worried, like Victor always was when the color of his soul ring turned green for fear, orange for anxiety, so dark blue it almost seemed black for deep sorrow. 

Victor had never been able to keep his attention away from his ring, inked into the skin of his ring finger on his right hand. The colors swirled around it, always vibrant, always clear, even as the colors shiftend and mixed. Like waves they rippled sometimes, feelings interlacing. It was beautiful to watch, and Victor had lost many hours that should have been used for studying or dance training simply admiring as it shifted colors. His soulmate had expressive feelings, and others often told him how vibrant his ring was; Victor always felt a sense of pride when he heard it. The colors turned from the softer nuances of blue for calm and comfort, to orange for anxious, and green for fear. Victor’s soulmate was anxious often, sad a lot, and scared too, especially in the last three years. He always felt so powerless then, caressing the ring over and over in hopes of sending some of the love he felt for them over to his soulmate in hopes of calming them. 

Victor’s ring appeared when he was a month away from turning two, not that he could remember it. To him, the ring had always been there, always a part of him. His mother had come to pick him up from a nap, and there it was -- a vibrant rainbow of colors swirling around his little ring finger. It was common for the ring to be a mix of colors the first few years, and to then simmer down to become more clear in the feelings displayed. Because of this, Victor knew that his soulmate’s birthday was on the 29th of November, and that they were younger than himself. Some were born with their rings, indicating their soulmate was older than them, others waited a decade or more to see theirs appear, other’s never got theirs at all. Victor often wondered what his own colors looked like on his soulmate’s ring. What was the first color his soulmate associated with him? Could it be pink, for love? Or yellow for happiness? Or the light blue that Victor’s soulmate often felt between all the bad feelings, the color Victor most associated with them. 

“You’re doing it again Vitya,” Lilia pointed out, and Victor dropped his hands to his sides, trying to shake them out. It was so hard to stop. Everytime he touched his ring he felt closer to his soulmate, like he was almost touching them. “Concentrate.”

“Yes Lilia,” he said with a sigh, shifting in place. He looked up to catch her eye again, and she kept his gaze.

“I’m assuming you want to continue to dance, even though Mila’s quitting?” she asked, even though Victor knew it wasn’t really a question. It was true too. He really wanted to continue. He loved ballroom dancing, and there was no part of him at twenty-five that wanted to stop. He had been practicing standard ballroom since he was six, marking this his nineteenth year of practicing it, but his first without a partner. He and Mila had been in the same dance group together at Baranovskaya Dance Studio, but now she was moving away for college, and had decided she needed a break. In a way, Victor understood. They trained hard, and dancing consumed most of his thoughts and life. It was tough, hard work and time consuming... and yet he didn’t understand at all. How could she walk away from this? The joy of performing, the thrill of the competition, crafting stories through movement?

“I do,” Victor agreed. “I don’t know how to move forward, but I would like to, with a new partner.” 

“Alright,” Lilia agreed, and opened the tablet that was resting on her lap. “I do not think there should be a problem finding someone who would be open to being your partner. You are talented and decorated in terms of competition. I think the challenge will be in finding someone who can compliment you.”

“It would be good to have someone who’s strength lies in Tango and Foxtrot,” Victor pointed out, and Lilia nodded. “Since I’m weaker in those.”

“I agree,” she nodded, her finger skimming over the screen. “I would say that we should set up a few test practices with a few of the partners that could be a good fit, and you can get a feel of how it would work.”

“Like who?” Victor asked. Lilia’s dance studio might be a larger one, but there weren't that many that did competitive ballroom. Victor was sure to know everyone Lilia was about to suggest, and he already knew there were very few he would like to spend as much time as it took to train with. 

“Anya’s been looking to change partner from Georgi,” Lilia said, and handed the iPad over as she did, Anya’s profile opened on it. Not that Victor needed it. He had danced in the same group as Anya and Georgi since they were teens, and while it didn’t come as a surprise to him that she was looking to find someone new to dance with after their very recent break-up, Victor had no interest in getting into that mess. He also wasn’t very fond of Anya, and his first instinct was to immediately say no. Lilia beat him to it by voicing it herself. “I know it’s not ideal, but you could give it a try, no harm.”

Victor sighed, but nodded. He wasn’t sure how many options he actually had, so he agreed. Perhaps if they were alone, away from Georgi and the drama that had always seemed to follow the couple they could get along better. “Who else?”

“Seung Gil?” she suggested, and Victor arched an eyebrow in question, which Lilia didn’t seem to see, having taken the iPad back, clearly looking for Seung Gil’s profile. 

“Aren't he and Hikaru working together?” Victor asked. Last time he had seen them everything was fine, and he hadn’t heard anything about them quitting or having fights. Lilia waved her hand dismissively. 

“Yes, they’re doing alright but he has more potential than Hikaru, and you are a much better leader than he is. Perhaps it could be a good fit,” she said. Victor doubted that even more than he did dancing with Anya. He and Seung Gil had exchanged about ten sentences with each other, none of them in malice, but not exactly cheerful either. The man simply didn’t seem to be interested in interacting with anyone. He might even find Victor to be slightly annoying. The pair had come to Lilia’s dance studio a few years ago to improve, so Victor didn’t know them as well.

“I’m not sure,” Victor said slowly. This was so hard. He and Mila had been a good pair in terms of dancing, it had always been them. Now Victor felt as though he knew too much, scrutinising every flaw he knew the others had -- on the dance floor or outside of it. 

“I’ll talk to him and we’ll see,” she said, and Victor nodded, even if he didn’t really like the idea. “How do you feel about Sara?”

“Absolutely not,” Victor said firmly, shaking his head. “I know she wants to get away from Mickey, and we might have been able to make it work, but I’m not getting my kneecaps smashed because of it.” 

Lilia sighed, but nodded in understanding. She suggested two other dancers that were currently in the lower competition grade, Adam and Kim, and Victor agreed to do a tryout with both of them. He knew less about them, having had very little dance training alongside them, but he had met both of them at competitions and at the studio. Lilia looked pleased once they finished, promising to be in touch once she had set the tryouts up, and Victor left the dance studio with a heavy heart. He let his thumb caress over his soul ring again. It was slightly orange now, and Victor’s heart clenched. It seemed they were both struggling today. 

The try outs were a mess. Victor felt as though he had been thrown back into the novice class, stumbling over his and his partners feet, trying to make it work. His practice with Anya was interrupted by Geogri storming in with tears streaming down his cheeks, the pair erupting into a screaming match in the middle of the Tango. Victor sat down heavily on the floor to catch his breath, watching as they continued to shout. He looked over at Lilia with a raised eyebrow, and she sighed deeply, walking over to the pair to try to calm the situation. Victor decided to start stretching as he waited, pretending not to hear when Georgi started throwing insults towards Victor’s over-leading with distinguishable cues, and his over attentiveness due to him being too much of a perfectionist.

Seung Gil didn’t show up at all, and Victor was grateful for it because he didn’t really see them being good partners anyway, no matter how much Lilia grumbled about it. It was slightly better with Adam than Kim, but after having a second try out with the both of them it became evident that it wasn’t going to work out. He felt like he had very little chemistry with either of them, and it would set him back, perhaps years, trying to bring them up to his level. Victor still had many years to dance, but it would be preferable not to have to go down levels to do so. 

“I will look into dancers at other studios,” Lilia agreed, and Victor did a silent celebration. “I have a contact that I trust. I’ll call her.” 

Victor felt much better leaving the studio that day. He thought it would be best to meet someone new, someone with schooling from another studio, and someone who he didn’t know everything about -- good and bad. He felt almost giddy as he walked down known streets. His soulmate had been anxious and scared a lot lately, and even now there was a spike of orange in the yellow of happiness. Victor laced his own fingers together, and tried to send as much love to his soulmate as he could. 

Victor had just finished holding classes with the novice children when Lilia stepped into the dance studio, tablet in her arms. Victor held a few classes every week, as well as helped Lilia with dance workshops when she held them. She looked unusually chipper, the pinch between her brows for once relaxed. 

“I have heard back from Minako, the contact I was telling you about,” she said as the final student left the room, and Victor perked up too, stepping closer. “She says she has someone in mind, but he hasn't danced at her studio for a few years since he moved for college. He’s twenty-three, extensive experience in standard ballroom and ballet, without a partner right now, and hasn't competed for two years, since he moved.” 

“Why?” Victor asked, and Lilia hummed. “Why wouldn’t he compete, if he has the skill?” 

“Minako doesn’t say, which isn’t very like her, she’s usually very upfront,” Lilia said, scrolling through the email. “He’s currently training with Hisashi Morooka, who you know is a bit of a controversial trainer. I’ve never had any trouble with him personally, but that might be why there’s no real explanation, Minako might not know. Hisashi is known to keep his work under tight wraps, and no one who trains for him is allowed to train with anyone else, or teach anywhere else.”

“That’s strange,” Victor said. He had heard about Hisashi before, and from what he had heard from other dancers was that he was very kind to those who danced with him, but had a tendency to badmouth other dance studios. “How does Minako know this mystery dancer?”

“Oh, his name is Yuuri Katsuki,” she said, eyes falling to the tablet again. “Minako trained him as he grew up. He started dancing even earlier than you. She knows his parents, so he’s always spent time in the studio with her apparently.”

“Okay, it makes sense that she’s so familiar with his situation then,” Victor agreed. “Can we reach out to him? Did she send any constant information?” 

“She did not, and there’s no video either,” Lilia said, closing the tablet to turn to him. “Minkao suggested we go to the Kanako showcase in a month.” 

“Showcase?” Victor asked, bewildered. “Why? If he doesn’t compete?” 

“Apparently he’s going to perform during the evening performances,” Lilia explained. “I’m going to be there anyway, since I have a few pairs competing. It wouldn’t be too hard to bring you. I could just call Kanako and she would add you to the party. I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“All this for someone we’re not even sure I can dance with? We don’t really know anything about him?” Victor asked. Lilia usually didn’t go for gambles such as this, and she didn’t waste her time on dancers she felt might not meet the mark. 

“I might be a bit intrigued,” she admitted, and Victor couldn’t help but smile at that, something that could be a smile tugged at her lips. “I trust Minako, and if she thinks Yuuri would be a good fit for you, I think he might be. Besides, maybe it could be fun, Vitya.”

“Fun?” he asked with a laugh, and she smiled in earnest this time. “You think I don’t have fun here?”

“I think this partner search has worn on you, and I admit to being a part of that. Maybe going to the showcase, not completing, just dancing in the social dance gatherings, meeting up with some old friends, and enjoying moving to the music, could be fun,” she said, and Victor felt his heart clench as warmth flooded his body. “Maybe Yuuri could be a good fit, maybe you’ll spot someone else that would be. It couldn’t hurt, could it?”

“No,” Victor agreed with a nod. “It sounds like a great idea. 

_____________________

  
  


The month until the showcase moved at a snail's pace, and even though Victor tried to keep busy at the dance studio it felt strange not to have someone to train with, to prepare for competitions with. He called Mila a few times a week, just because he missed her. She sounded happy, and he could hardly fault her for leaving when she seemed to be enjoying herself so much. He did a few classes where he danced with other partners, and it was fun, but it wasn’t the same. 

His soulmate seemed to be going through something as well, the ring often flaring orange. Victor wished to know what was troubling them and how he could help, and several times he cursed the fact that the universe had given him this ability to see what his soulmate was feeling, but not being able to reach out to them at all. He wouldn’t want to trade this away for the world however, and all he could hope was that he would meet them soon, to hold them.

He laid in bed at night, hand raised over him, wondering how it would feel, to touch someone and see the ring turn purple -- the sign that you were touching your soulmate. He hoped that it would make him happy, that he would be in a place and time where he could just focus on them, get to know them. He hoped he would find them soon. 

The Thursday before for the showcase came, and everyone who was attending from Lilia’s studio climbed into the bus in the afternoon, settling in. They were a good group, and Victor knew all of them in some way, either as a teacher or having trained with them. It still felt slightly weird to be there alone, not having Mila by his side. The usual nerves that accompanied him before every competition were absent even if he still felt excited. It would be fun to attend without competing, and he was looking forward to seeing Yuuri, the mystery around the dancer having festered in his mind since Lilia had brought it up. He also knew that he would run into dance friends he had gotten to know over the years, but that danced at other studios in other cities, and Victor was looking forward to that as well. 

Sara sat down next to him on the bus, and even though Mickey gave them angry looks most of the way, Victor enjoyed the three and a half hour ride with her by his side. They talked about her and Mickey’s routines, about Victor’s hunt for a new partner, and about many other dance related things, like how they felt about the showcase schedule and the performers chosen for the nightly solo performances. Victor hadn’t told anyone he had come to see Yuuri. Lilia had explained to the group that he was there as assistant coach, ‘since he couldn’t compete right now he might as well learn something about coaching and teaching’, and that he was there to support the Baranovskaya team. It suited Victor perfectly. 

They arrived early in the evening, and since there were no events for Thursday, they simply checked in and then went out for dinner in a quiet restaurant a few blocks from the conference center that hosted the showcase. This was a Baranovskaya studio tradition. They would be free to socialize the other nights, with there being a dinner with all the showcase attendees both Friday and Saturday, but this evening was for them. 

“I hope everyone will enjoy the classes hosted tomorrow,” Lilia said as she stood at the end of the table, all of the parties' eyes on her. “Make sure you all attend as many as you can. Try new styles, improve the ones you feel you’re lacking in. Make sure to take the opportunity to dance for other teachers than me. Grow.” 

Victor smiled. She held similar speeches everytime they were away for any event. Showcases were slightly different from competitions, since they held classes, performances and competition, as well as social events such as social dancing and dinner. Competitions were more fierce, while this was more of a dance celebration, with the added pressure of competition. The younger dancers all sat with eyes wide, looking at Lilia, surely nervous. Victor remembered how it was, the first few years, and how much they would take from this. He hoped they would have fun, above all else. He knew Lilia felt the same. 

“Socialize and have fun at the social dance and dinners, talk to new people, dance with new people, have fun. Don’t overdo yourself on Friday though, you still have the competition on Saturday, and then you can celebrate the night away on Saturday night,” she warned, and a few of the older dancers agreed. They had all been victims of staying up dancing too late the night before, finding their bodies stiff and their heads heavy, not in the right mindset for competition. Luckily Victor didn’t have to worry about that this weekend. 

“Do the studio proud, remember that you are representing me and Yakov here, but do have fun too. To dance,” she said, and they all raised their glasses, echoing the statement. Yakov smiled next to her, another rarity, and Victor glanced at both of their soulmate rings, bright pink for love. 

He had grown up in their studio, watching their strong and supportive relationship. They still danced together, held a few classes together, even if Yakov handled more of the business side now as Lilia taught. They had won countless prizes, the world championship two times, and they had taught Victor almost all he knew about dancing, and a lot of what he knew about life too. His parents never understood his love for dance, and as he grew up it had always been liberating stepping into the Baranovskaya dance studio, knowing he was understood, a safe haven. Lilia leaned down to press her lips to Yakov’s quickly, and then sat, the rest of the table cheering. Victor smiled, even as they rolled their eyes at them as they applauded. He could only hope to have such a good and supporting connection with his soulmate, once he found them. 

The food was good, and afterwards they called it an early night, all retreated to their rooms back at the hotel. The lobby was filling up, and Victor stopped to say hello and exchange a few words with the dancers he knew. He didn’t linger though. He felt the long hours sitting in the bus creep up on him, and he went back to his own room early, stretched and crawled into bed. All the couples had been assigned to their own rooms, but since Lilia had brought her husband Yakov, it meant Victor got his own room. Not that he minded. He crawled up into bed, ending the day as he always did, looking at his soulmate ring. It was orange again, and Victor pressed his lips to it, wishing he could soothe the worry his soulmate was feeling in some way. 

The first part of Friday passed in a blurr. Victor had never understood how much time Lilia spent on simply directing the students, making sure they caught the classes they wanted, that they ate and drank, and that no one wandered off. This was mostly true for the ones that were in their teens of course, but Victor had to defuse a couple of arguments between Sara and Mickey, as well as direct Yuri and Otabek, the young soulmates having gotten lost on their way back after lunch. He appreciated Lilia infinitely more now. 

“You think this is bad?” she asked, amusement in her voice. “You were terrible between fifteen and eighteen, chasing after boys you found pretty. Almost gave me an ulcer.”

Victor flushed, but smiled. He had spent many of the events in those years flirting with boys he found pretty, or trying to act the part of wingman for Mila in her search for cute girls. The memories made something twist in his chest. He missed her, and because of it picked up his phone to take a photo of the dance class for Waltz, sending it to her. He knew, in a way, that if he found a new partner he would be able to grow in a way he couldn’t with her. They had started growing apart in terms of dance, and he had felt it. It didn’t mean he didn’t miss her as a friend though. He smiled at her enthusiastic answer, and then pocketed his phone. Minako Okukawa and her soulmate Celestino were holding the Waltz lesson, and Victor leaned against the wall, fingers twitching. He really, really wanted to join, but without a partner it wasn’t doable. He would have to hold back and watch, and hopefully he would find someone to dance with later. He still hadn’t spotted Yuuri, but he hoped to be able to exchange a few words with Minako after the class ended. It seemed like she had a similar idea, leaving Celestino to wrap the class up as she approached him. 

“Vicor,” she smiled, reaching her hand out for him to take. He had met her before, briefly in settings like this, but they had never really talked just the two of them. “I’m glad so see you, not as much off the dance floor, however.”

Victor laughed, and she winked. “I’m not very happy to be off of it either, but one can hope I’ll be back on it soon,” he agreed. She nodded, her brows furrowing. 

“Did Lilia speak to you, about Yuuri?” she asked. Her tone was low, as if whispering secrets, and Victor felt his heart flip. What was it about this situation that was so secret? He should probably feel dissuaded by it. Causing drama was one of the major reasons he didn’t want to dance with Sara and Seung Gil after all, and still this excited him. 

“She did,” Victor agreed. “I wish I knew more about him. I agreed to come here partly because you said he would be here, but I haven’t seen him, not that I know what he looks like.”

“Yes, I would guess he’s doing what you’re doing, guiding around students and making sure everyone is taken care of. You may have seen him, although you may not know it,” she pointed out. “He competed for my studio when he was younger, so you attended the same competitions then, only at different levels.”

“Why isn’t he competing now then?” Victor asked, and Minako sighed, irritation clear on her face. 

“He should, he’s brilliant,” she said. “You would be a good match too. Have you checked the performance schedule for the evening?” 

“Not really, I’ve been busy with the schedule for the classes and making sure I know where to direct everyone from Lilia’s studio, especially as she teaches,” Victor admitted. He had never been very good at keeping track of the things he didn’t absolutely need to know, which he always had a very good grip on. He knew when the performances started and what was expected of him in attending, and the gossip he and Sara had shared on the bus, but nothing more than that. 

“Okay, I think we should wait until then, I think you might have more answers after tonight,” she said, and Victor arched an eyebrow. 

“Why is this such a secret? Why won’t you tell me?” he asked. It was fascinating, but this was getting out of hand. Minako was clearly avoiding the subject, and Victor wanted to know why. 

“It’s not a secret, I just think that you should hear it from Yuuri instead of me, if you think he’s a good fit. Besides, it’s just my personal opinion. He’ll be performing tonight, so you can make up your mind in terms of his skill level and your compatibility after that,” she suggested. Victor wasn’t really sure what to make of that, but he nodded and then decided to head out. What Minako said spun in his mind, and he rubbed his hand over the soulmate ring. It was a mix of colors today, rippling like waves of yellow, orange, light blue and green. Happy, anxious, content, afraid. He stroked it again as he walked towards the hotel lobby to take the elevator up. This had been the last dance class, and now Victor was to go up and dress for dinner. He took a shower and dressed formally, fussing over his hair and making sure it laid just right before he headed down. The restaurant was packed, and Victor walked up to the seating chart, finding his name next to a familiar one. 

“Chris!” he said happily as he reached the table, his old friend smiling widely as he spotted him. “I’m so glad I was seated next to you. I can’t believe my luck.”

“I might have made it happen,” Chris laughed. “Me and Phichit helped in making the seating arrangements so we took our pick in who to sit next to.”

“Smart,” Victor grinned, catching Phichit’s eye from where he was sitting on the other side of Chris. “Nice to see you, Phichit.”

“Likewise,” Phichit agreed, smiling wide and bubbly. “We didn’t think you would come, so we were so happy to see your name.”

“Yes, I wasn’t supposed to with me not having a partner, but Lilia thought it could be a good way to find one,” Victor laughed. 

“Oh, have you got any one in mind? I might have a suggestion,” Phichit said, eyes sparking. Chris chuckled and Phichit gave him a pointed look, even as his grin stayed on his face. 

“Really?” Victor asked. He didn’t know Phichit very well, other than having met him at a few dancing competitions since he and Chris had started dancing with each other. The soulmate pair had found each other two years ago, causing Chris to move to where Phichit was attending college after he had finished his own studies. “Who might that be? Someone I know?”

“You might,” Phichit teased, and Chris reached over to grab his hand, Phichit’s focus shifting from Victor to Chris. 

“Now, let the man eat and we can discuss potential dance partners later, I want to hear about what happened with Mila?” Chris asked, and Victor sighed. 

“She wanted to go to college in another region,” Victor explained. He felt as though he had repeated this explanation countless times. “I think it might be for the best in the long run, but it feels strange now. Hopefully I’ll find someone who can be a good fit soon.”

“Yes, fingers crossed,” Chris agreed. Victor caught Phichit’s gaze again, and Victor was sure it looked like he wanted to say something more, but held back. Maybe he was just imagining it. The conversation moved over to Chris and Phichit’s performances and how they felt the coming season would go. It was easy conversation, with good food being served, and Victor felt happy here, talking to his friend and his boyfriend. Chris had trained with Lilia ever since he was nine, starting in the same group as Victor, and stayed until he met Phichit at a dancing competition. 

“How is Masumi?” Chris asked as they finished dessert, and Victor sipped his tea, feeling warm and full. “I haven’t talked to him in a while.”

“He met his soulmate, I ran into them like a month ago,” Victor answered. Masumi had been Chris’ dance partner before Phichit, and he had stopped competing once Chris moved away. “He looked really happy. He still comes in to dance, but it’s been jazz I think, no pair dances.” 

“I’m glad he’s still enjoying it at least,” Chris said as he looked down. Leaving one's partner was never easy, and Victor knew that both Chris and Mila had felt extremely guilty about doing it. Victor understood them both, and he was happy for them doing what they wanted in life. He knew Masumi had been mad at first, but when he met him last, he seemed to have let go of his resentment, and Victor told Chris as much. 

“You coming to sit with us for the show?” Phichit asked as they stood and moved towards the larger conference room that was going to hold the performances. “I understand if you’ve made plans with your friends from Lilia’s though.”

“No I’d love to sit with you if you would have me,” Victor admitted. “There’s been a lot of drama between the pairs at Lilias, not due to Lilia but more that people are wearing on each other. Both Georgi and Anya, and Sara and Mickey have been fighting a lot lately, and I’m not very close with Seung Gil and Hikaru, and Otabek and Yura are still in that soulmate bubble so no one gets through to them. I’d have much more fun with you.”

“Great!” Phichit cheered, arm linked with Chris as they walked along with everyone else towards the seats. “Leo and Guang Hong wanted to sit next to us too.”

They made it up to the competition room where the performances would be held as well, and Victor greeted Guang Hong and Leo, a pair of Latin dancers that Victor knew of, but had never talked to before. They both seemed sweet, and apparently danced at Minako’s studio. 

“Minako is the best,” Guang Hong gushed, and Leo laughed. “ I know I’m biased, but still.”

“I met her earlier today, she seems good. She and Celestnio looked great together in the dance class they held.”

“They’re a very handsome couple. They’re going to perform later, Waltz,” Leo said, and handed a program over to Victor who quickly looked through it. Today there were more classic ballroom performances, while there were more unusual styles and group performances tomorrow it seemed. Victor quickly found Yuuri’s name, listed next to Hisashi Morooka’s, performing a Tango tonight. Oh, that wasn’t what Victor expected. 

“Chris, you’re training at Morooka’s studio, right?” Victor asked, and his friend turned to him just as he looked up from the program, nodding. 

“Yeah, it’s the only one that has a licence for competitive ballroom in the city where Phichit goes to college,” Chris said. “Why?”

“You must know Yuuri Katsuki then? He’s supposed to be dancing with him in this show,” Victor asked. 

“Ah, yeah sure I know Yuuri,” he agreed with a smile, and then Phichit turned to them, having previously been engaged in a conversation with Leo and Guang Hong. 

“You talking about Yuuri?” he asked, and Victor could see Chris squirm. Phichit didn’t seem to notice, or otherwise he didn’t care, since he turned to Victor next. “Have you met him Victor?”

“No, I haven't. I've heard good things about his dancing though. I just saw that he’s dancing with Morooka. It surprised me a little,” Victor admitted. Why was someone as decorated as Hisahi Morooka dancing with someone who didn’t compete? It didn’t make sense. From what Victor knew, Morooka still competed at high levels. “Are they soulmates?”

“No, Hiashi’s soulmate died before they met,” Chris said, and Victor automatically reached for his soul ring, eyes dropping to it just to make sure it was still there. It was a mix of green and orange, but still so colorful, nothing like the faded grey of a soulbond broken. 

“How about Yuuri? Does he not have one?” Victor asked, more because he was interested. Not everyone danced with their soulmate of course, since not all ballroom dancers had dancing soulmates, but Yuuri had him intrigued. He wanted to know more about the man, and Phichit seemed eager to share. 

“No, he still hasn’t met his,” Phichit said chipperly. “He’s amazing though, you’ll see.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Victor agreed, and Phichit smiled widely. There was definitely more there, but Victor let it go, especially since the lights dimmed and the spotlights illuminated the dance floor, Kanako Odagaki standing in the middle of it to welcome them all. She was the one that had held the speech this morning as the showcase opened as well, and it was her dance studio that hosted this event. She went over the program of the evening, inviting everyone up for social dancing after the performances were done. Victor sat back, and then the show started. 

It was always amazing to see those who were amazing at their craft excel, and Victor enjoyed each and every minute of all of the ten ballroom dances being shown. Most were older dancers who had won many medals and had dance studios of their own now, but there were a few who were younger too, just coming off a gold or silver at a bigger competition. Perhaps he could be one of them one day too, if he was lucky. Still, he counted down the performances before the Tango, gaze drifting between the performances to see if he could get a glimpse of Hisashi Morooka, and maybe Yuuri too, but in vain.

“Next we have a Tango from Hisashi Morooka and Yuuri Katsuki,” Kanako announced, and next to him Phichit, Leo and Guang Hong cheered loudly. Victor looked over and laughed along with Chris at the loud calls of encouragement, and then turned back, only to feel his stomach flip. From opposite sides of the dance floor two men stepped up, but Victor’s eyes instantly drifted to the one to the right, who was slightly smaller, lithe and curvy. His hips swayed as he circled the dance floor, coming closer and closer to his partner. Victor felt entranced. Yuuri’s hair was black, pushed away from his face, with smokey, dark make-up enlarging his eyes. He was in a dark dress with a long slit up his right thigh, showing off skin with each step he took, dark gloves covering his hands and arms. He looked graceful as he moved, commanding the room's attention as he swayed his hips. Victor felt his heart race. Yuuri had an incredible presence, and Victor held his breath as the pair reached each other, reaching out, and the music finally started. 

It was amazing, Victor couldn’t look away from Yuuri as he moved, his back arching beautifully, arms long as he extended them, leg high as he unfolded it up, up. He flowed across the floor, and Victor forgot all about the fact that there was a second dancer on the floor. Yuuri was the only thing he saw, the only thing that he wanted to see. He was sensual, the crowd following each and every move, sway of his hips, roll of wrist, snap of legs and hands. By the end of it, Victor felt as if his world had been on pause during the performance, the crowd loudly applauded and that startled him to suck in a deep breath. Had he forgotten to breathe during the entire three minutes Yurui danced? It certainly felt that way with how his lungs burned. Yuuri’s gaze averted as the applause hit him, and he seemed to shrink in on himself as they bowed, Morooka’s hand low on his back as they walked off the floor. Victor followed them as long as he could, until the pair disappeared among the crowd and then into the shadows, unable to look away. 

“Wasn’t he amazing?” Phichit asked, and Victor turned to him, still feeling dazed. 

“Wow,” he breathed, and Phichit laughed, Chris snickering too. “I’ve never seen anyone dance a Tango like that. That was-,” Victor cut himself off as he looked back to the dance floor, as if he could still see the performance if he did. He didn’t have words, his mind still hazy with the sensual image of Yuuri sweeping across the floor. 

“Right?” Phichit agreed, excited glimmer in his eyes as Victor looked back. “Do you think you’ll ask him to dance later? I’m sure he would want to.”

“You think so?” Victor asked, looking towards where Yuuri had disappeared off the dance floor. “I’ve been itching to dance all day, ever since Mila left really. I would love to dance with him. Is Tango his favorite?”

“You should ask him,” Chris suggested, knowing grin on his face. Victor surely looked smitten, but then again, he sort of was..

“Why isn’t he competing?” he asked, and he saw Chris grow stiff. “Does he not want to?”

“No, I think he would really love to get back to it,” Phichit said, his voice much softer now. “He just needs to find the right person to do it with.”

“Okay,” Victor said, mind swimming. There must be something more surely, for everyone to be acting so strange, but Victor was intrigued in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. “I’ll see if I can catch him later.” Phichit beamed, and so did Victor, feeling excitement grow in his veins. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

The show continued, but Victor couldn’t concentrate. His mind was filled with Yuuri and how he had moved, and he could hardly wait for the performance to be over, so he could find him and perhaps even ask him to dance. Luckily, there were only two more performances after Yuuri and Morooka, and soon the crowd was invited onto the dance floor to dance. Leo led Guang Hong to the dance floor for the Waltz they started with, smiling as they did. Soulmate rings a bright purple. The floor soon filled with dancers of all ages, but Chris hung back by his side, urging Phichit to go down and promising that he would soon join him.

“Be careful with Yuuri,” he said, and Victor looked at him with brows furrowed. “I really hope you hit it off, because I think it could be good for you both, but what he showed tonight is a stage persona, not who he is as a person, and there are other things with Hisashi that…” he trailed off, and Victor’s eyes grew wide. 

“Are they a couple?” he asked, and Chris bit his lower lip as he shook his head. The music had started now, and the crowd was talking, which made it much easier to hide a conversation that Chris didn’t seem to want to be overheard. That no one seemed to want to be overheard.

“No but… Hisashi wants them to be I think. He keeps hitting on Yuuri, but I don’t think Yuuri notices, or that he’s simply very good at acting aloof,” Chris explained. “It’s Hisashi who doesn’t feel he should compete.”

“Why though? If he’s that good, doesn’t he want to compete with Yuuri?” Victor asked, and Chris shook his head. 

“Yuuri doesn’t think he’s good enough, so he won’t compete with him, at least that’s what he says. It’s all very tangled and I don’t think I know all of it,” Chris tried to explain, and Victor nodded. It did sound very complicated. “I think Phichit knows more, since they’re closer.”

“Could it be that Yuuri doesn’t want to compete with him?” Victor asked. He had started scanning the room for the man, and soon he found Yuuri, sitting on a bench on the other side of the dance floor, alone. 

“It could,” Chris agreed. “Hisashi’s studio is very different from Lilia’s, and there’s a lot of rules there, and as I said, it’s the only one close. Yuuri works there to pay for college so he doesn’t have to put pressure on his parents. This is his final year.”

“So maybe he can’t say no?” Victor suggested, and Chris nodded thoughtfully. Victor looked back at Yuuri catching his gaze looking back at him. Yuuri’s cheeks turned red, and he quickly averted his eyes, very different from the dancer that had just been on the dance floor. Why did that make Victor even more intrigued? “I’ll go talk to him.”

“Okay,” Chris agreed. “Be careful, with him and yourself.” 

“Thanks,” Victor laughed as he took a step back. “Go sweep your soulmate off his feet.”

“You got it wrong, it’s the other way around,” Chris shouted back, and Victor laughed, before turning fully away, making his way around the dance floor. He glanced at Yuuri a few times, but tried not to stare. He really was beautiful, the closer Victor got the more evident it became. He had been breathtaking on the dance floor, but even off it he looked divine, even as he seemed to make himself as small as possible. Victor walked up to stand next to him, eyes falling down, meeting Yuuri’s wide brown ones looking up at him. Victor’s stomach flipped. 

“Can I sit here?” he asked, and Yuuri blinked, straightening slightly.

“Oh,” he said with a frown forming between his brows. “You’re not dancing?”

“Not right now,” Victor said with a smile, even as he gazed out at the dance floor. He spotted Chris and Phichit, as well as many other of his dance friends. This was a social dance, which meant much more relaxed and easy than the classes or competitions. The usual pairs broke up, and people from all ages danced with each other, just for fun. 

“Okay, you can sit, the seat isn’t taken,” Yuuri said, and Victor sat down with a smile, looking over at Yuuri who fidgeted. 

“Thank you, I’m Victor,” he introduced, and Yuuri nodded. He looked stiff, and Victor wasn’t sure why. He didn’t mean to make Yuuri uncomfortable, but perhaps he didn’t want company. He glanced over at Victor, and bit into his lower lip, turning towards him slightly. Victor waited. He wasn’t used to waiting, but then again, he rarely just walked up to someone and sat down next to them if he didn’t know them either. Yuuri studied him, and then, determination flashed in his eyes. It made Victor’s stomach flip.

“I’m Yuuri,” he said softly. “Why aren't you dancing?”

“I don’t want to right now,” Victor said. In a way, he very much wanted to dance, but he would prefer to get to know Yuuri now. Something about him drew him in, maybe it was his dance, all the secrecy, or the prospect of a dance partner, Victor wasn’t sure. “Why aren’t you dancing?”

“Hm,” Yuuri said, glancing out onto the dance floor. “Maybe no one has asked me,” he said, but Vicor could see the glint of mischief in his eyes. 

“I’m pretty sure I saw two people ask as I was walking over here,” he pointed out, and a smile broke out on Yuuri’s lips. God that was pretty. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. You did plenty showing us all up earlier.”

Yuuri’s smile turned soft, a blush spreading over his cheeks, red and sweet. Victor followed as it spread up sharp cheekbones and down soft cheeks, even as Yuuri turned away. “I had a good partner. Hisashi has won several international competitions after all.”

“Don’t give me that, I’m a dancer too. I know it takes two,” he said, and Yuuri rolled his eyes, but looked back at Victor afterwards. He was still smiling, so he didn’t seem mad, thankfully. It was true. Sure Hisashi Morooka was a good dancer, but Yuuri had been magnificent. “You have great rhythm and musicality in your dancing,” Victor said, and he heard Yuuri’s sharp intake of breath even in the loud conference hall. “It was beautiful to see.”

“I have many things I could improve on,” Yuuri said, looking down at his hands. Victor caught the sight of his soulmate ring, stark yellow. He looked down at his own, which held almost the same color, with waves of orange rippling through it. “I need to get better at matching the length of his steps, and I don’t flow as well as I should in some of the transitions.”

“I don’t agree with that,” Victor said, and Yuuri looked up at him, eyebrows raised. “Sure, you could lengthen your steps, but it’s also his job to make sure you can from the position you’re in, and when it comes to transitions I would say that he’s the one that has trouble with them. I think your snaps could be sharper on the other hand, as well as confidence in your dancing. It shows in how you hesitate, just for a moment before you move. Your presence on the dance floor was breathtaking, I couldn’t look away for a second, so I almost missed it.” 

Yuuri blinked at him, and then smiled again. “You’re serious,” he said, almost as if in awe. “Wow, you’re very analytical. You only saw us once.”

“Lilia makes us watch ourselves and others to learn. It’s all done in good spirit, but yeah, you did beautifully, but the things you mentioned sound like his mistakes,” Victor pointed out. Yuuri looked at him for a long moment, and Victor held his gaze, until Yuuri looked away to the dance floor again. Victor continued to look at him anyway. He managed to look soft and sharp at the same time, and it was obvious that he carried a wall, much like Victor did too. 

“Are you competing tomorrow?” Yuuri asked, the subject of his own dancing clearly dropped. Victor wondered what Yuuri thought of his comments, if he had pushed too far. He knew he did that sometimes, too honest and straightforward, too much. 

“No, I’m currently without a partner,” Victor said, and that caused Yuuri to look back at him with wide eyes.

“Really?” he asked, and Victor nodded. He almost wanted to ask Yuuri if he was interested then and there, but he held back. “What happened?”

“Mila, who I’ve danced with my entire career, decided to quit, or at least take a break. She moved away for college to do something new and different. I don’t blame her, this is a very time consuming hobby for those who have to work other jobs, and a lifestyle in many ways too,” he said, and Yuuri nodded, the crease between his brows back. 

“You’re not quitting, are you?” he asked, and Victor smiled as he shook his head. 

“No, I’ve just had trouble finding someone who fits, apparently I’m difficult,” he said with a grin, and Yuuri snorted as a wide grin broke out on his face. “What? Do you believe I'm difficult too, Yuuri?” he asked, and Yuuri laughed, shaking his head. 

“No, no I just- I have a hard time thinking a follower would say no to dancing with you, or that they wouldn't at least try. You’re a very talented dancer, well rounded with a good frame, beautiful rise and fall, graceful posture and a good leader,” Yuuri said, and with each word he said Victor’s own smile grew.

“You’ve seen me dance?” he asked, and Yuuri’s cheeks burned red again. 

“Of course I have, everyone has!” Yuuri protested, but Victor simply continued to smile. “You know what, I take it back, I’m sure you’re difficult after all.”

“Yuuri!” Victor gasped, even as he smiled widely. Yuuri smiled too, a soft giggle escaping his lips. Wow. “So cruel! Do you think I’ll be dance partnerless forever? Am I doomed to spend my dancing days alone now that Mila has abandoned me because I’m so difficult?”    
“You’re ridiculous,” Yuuri said, but he was laughing, gaze warm. This felt good, really good. Victor had never had such an easy interaction with someone he hadn’t met before. “I’m sure you’ll find someone too, and you’ll go on to win many medals.”

“How about you, are you competing? I don’t think I saw your name on the list,” Victor said, even though he knew the answer. Yuuri’s smile dropped off his face, and even though Victor had been partially prepared for it, it hurt more than he thought it would. 

“N-No, I don’t compete, not anymore,” Yuuri said, and then he looked out across the dance floor again. Many songs had played since Victor sat down here, and the social dancing would probably be ending soon, to make sure everyone could get some good rest for the next day. Victor continued to look at Yuuri. It felt like he had more to say, so he waited, and was rewarded when Yuuri continued, quietly, as if almost admitting it to himself. “I really miss it though, in some ways.”

“I bet you were beautiful in competition too,” Victor agreed, and Yuuri looked back at him again. He wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t look pained, more contemplating. 

“I- I had my moments where I did alright, but I- I have trouble with…,” he paused, and Victor waited, even as his heart raced in his chest. It was so hard to hold back, but Yuuri seemed to open up when he was given the space to do so, and so far Victor had adored each and every one of those moments. “I struggle with anxiety,” Yuuri said, voice stronger now. “I get too nervous, and I don’t perform well, so it’s better that I don't compete. I don’t want to drag someone down with my weakness.” 

“Do you want to compete?” Victor asked calmly. He had never talked about anxiety with anyone like this before, and he felt slightly out of his depth with it. Still, he wouldn’t really see it as being weak. He had very rarely gotten stage fright himself, but the few times he had it had been muscle locking, mind halting, impossible to put one foot in front of the other without stumbling. If Yuuri felt like that and had still performed, Victor truly did not see him as weak, quite the opposite. Yuuri looked at him again for a long moment, and Victor kept his gaze. Yuuri seemed to be contemplating, and he wished to know what was running through his mind. 

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Yuuri asked instead of answering, lip pulled in between his teeth. “Are you helping Lilia?”

“I think so yeah, she’s not judging though, so I’m not sure how much she’ll need me,” Victor admitted. Yuuri nodded, and seemed to consider him for a bit.

“I’ll be watching most of the competitions, so if you find yourself with some spare time you can always come sit with me,” he said, and Victor filled with warmth as a smile spread on his lips. That sounded like something he wanted to do much more than make sure couples weren’t late to their competitions. 

“Yeah, I’m sure I could find some time for that,” he agreed with a smile. He hadn’t expected this, for Yuuri to reach out when he seemed so pensive in the beginning. “I would love to hear your opinions on the dancers.” 

“I don’t know if I’ll be a good judge of anything, but that sounds like fun,” Yuuri agreed and Victor beamed. 

“We can do our best together, maybe I can swipe a form from the judges table and we can have our own judging,” he joked, and Yuuri laughed, turning fully towards Victor, shoulders pulled back and expression open. It was such a stark difference from how he had been acting when Victor first walked up to him, Yuuri took a deep breath, only to be interrupted before he spoke. 

“Yuuri, time to head up.”

Victor turned, and there at the edge of the stands stood Hisashi Morooka, looking up at them. His gaze was calm, but he didn’t look at Victor, gaze steady on Yuuri. There were still a few couples on the floor, but it was clearly thinning. Victor hadn’t even noticed. 

“I didn’t realise it had gotten so late,” Yuuri admitted, standing. Victor did as well, and Yuuri turned to him, smiling again. “Thank you for keeping me company, Victor.” 

“The pleasure was all mine. Good night,” Victor said, holding back from talking about their plans for tomorrow.

“Good night,” Yuuri agreed with a laugh, and then made his way down to Morooka. Victor saw the older man reach out, but Yuuri easily side stepped it, smiling as he started to ask about how he had thought the social dancing was. Victor watched them as they left the room, only then stepping down from the stands. His mind felt hazy, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of having been so busy through the day, or because of his conversation with Yuuri. There was something very special about Yuuri. Victor couldn’t put his finger on what exactly it was. Suddenly, all the secrecy didn’t seem as strange. 

“Did you have a good evening?” Sara asked as she stepped off the dance floor and met him, Georgi stepping off with her, them probably having shared a dance. He could see Lilia and Minako walking a few steps ahead of them, talking. Victor knew Yakov and Celestino enjoyed catching up for a drink and he assumed that they had left their wives to fend for themselves during the social dancing as they did so. 

“I did,” Victor agreed. “I enjoyed the performances, and I got to sit next to Chris during dinner, which was really fun. Have you enjoyed it?”

“Yes, I’ve danced more than in months, I’m afraid I’ll be sore tomorrow,” she laughed, but she looked happy, carefree. The competitions were more a formality and for fun, and they didn’t change the ranking or qualify anyone for anything. 

“You can afford it for one happy night,” Victor said, and Georgi agreed. “Has everyone else gone to bed?” 

“Yes I think so, Yura and Otabek are so serious about tomorrow, you know how much of a winners mentality Yura has, so they left immediately after the performances. Mickey and Anya, along with Seung Gil and Hikaru left just a little while ago.”

“Too bad for them they missed the conga,” Georgi laughed, and Sara smiled widely too. They both looked much happier than they had for months, and Victor smiled too. 

“That sounds like a really good evening,” he admitted, and then the group stopped in their tracks as they caught up to Lilia who had stopped, Mianko moving away from them. 

“Go rest so you can be proud of your dancing tomorrow,” she said as she looked at Sara and Georgi, and they soon left after saying good night, leaving Lilia and Victor alone, except for a few stray dancers moving towards the elevators. 

“What did you think?” she asked, and Victor’s stomach flipped. There was no question of what she was talking about. 

“He was magnificent,” Victor simply said, and Lilia smiled. “I would love to dance with him.”

“Yes, he would be a good fit, Minako was right,” she agreed. “Did you speak about it?”

“No, I- we spoke about dancing and competing, but not doing it together,” Victor admitted. It hadn’t felt right, and in a way he had enjoyed simply getting to know Yuuri. 

“No worries, there are days left. If you feel like you want to take tomorrow to watch the competitions a bit, feel free to do that. I’ll call for you if I need your assistance. The morning will be the most hectical, so as soon as we’ve gotten everyone down and registered, you can relax a bit if you want to.” 

“What are you up to?” Victor asked, and Lilia’s lips quirked up for just a moment. 

“Nothing at all Vitya,” she said, not even hiding that she clearly had something planned, or some hopes of something coming from Victor watching the competitions. “You’re here looking to see if you find someone you want to train and compete with, look around, see if anyone seems to fit.”

“Alright,” Victor agreed, and then headed up to his room, exhausted but happy. He cuddled down into bed, pressed his lips to his bright yellow soulmate ring, and fell asleep. 

* * *

Victor found Yuuri early on the second day, cooped up in a chair overlooking the dance floor. He was softly dressed in a sweater and jeans, his dark hair pushed back but with blue framed glasses resting on his nose. He smiled as he spotted Victor, and Victor waved, before pulling himself from his company to walk over.

“Lilia didn’t need you?” Yuuri asked as Victor sat down, and Victor shook his head. He still wasn’t sure what Lilia was up to, but she had been very clear during breakfast that he should take the day to watch the competitions instead of helping. She continued to claim it was to see if he saw someone who could be a good fit as a partner for him, but he felt like there was more behind her persistence, especially since Minako and her were sporting similar sneaky expressions. He was sure it had something to do with Yuuri, and them dancing together. Not that Victor minded. He had a good time with Yuuri last night, and hopefully this day would be similar. 

“No, she said I should go watch instead, see if I could learn anything,” Victor laughed, and Yuuri smiled. “Apparently I have much to learn, if you listen to her and Yakov.” 

“Oh, yeah they seem harsh? I’ve never had a dance class with them but they don’t seem like the smiling types,” Yuuri said, and Victor laughed. 

“No, I think I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen them smile, but they’re actually much sweeter than one would think,” Victor admitted. “They’re very caring, and it’s important to them that everyone is taken care of. It’s a very good studio, I think. I haven’t danced at many others, more than for workshops and things like that, but I’ve always felt comfortable at the Baranovskaya studio.” 

“That’s lovely,” Yuuri said, smiling softly. His gaze drifted from Victor out towards the dance floor where the first set had started warming up. “It can be very different, the culture of a dance studio. You don’t notice it at first, but the more you get invested and the longer you spend somewhere you realise it.”

“You’ve danced for Minako before you started at Morooka’s studio right?” Victor asked, and Yuuri nodded. “Do you think they’re very different?”

“Yes,” Yuuri agreed. “It might be because I grew up with Minako and most of my experience comes from that studio, so I’m more used to her style, but it was a challenge changing studios. In some ways it still is.”

Victor bit his lower lip. Should he bring up the rumors about Morooka’s studio? About the harsher climate and the elitist mindset that were often brought up when others talked about it. He didn’t want to offend Yuuri though, and the rumors might be just that, rumors. From what Chris had said yesterday though, Victor doubted it. 

“Minako seems fun, even if she scares me a bit,” Victor said, and that seemed to bring Yuuri out of his contemplation, laughing as he turned back to him. 

“Scary? You think Minako is scary when you’ve basically grown up with Lilia and Yakov?” he asked, laughter in his voice. 

“I didn’t know you knew I grew up there,” Victor said cheekily, and a blush spread over Yuuri’s cheeks. Victor had missed it since yesterday. Yuuri bit his lip and looked away for a moment, before looking back.

“I might know a bit about your dancing career, we used to watch you, me and Yuuko, well everyone in our dance group at Minako’s studio really,” Yuuri admitted, and he kept Victor’s gaze as he said it, eyes determined. “You’re a very beautiful dancer Victor, we all looked up to you. I told you this yesterday.”

“Oh, I didn’t think that was a thing,” he said, feeling his own cheeks color. He was selfish, and self indulgent, and couldn't stop himself from wanting to know more. “What do you like about my dancing then?”

“You’re clearly a perfectionist, and even if you clearly have a talent for dancing, it seems you work extremely hard too. You have excellent grace, and the way you move during a Waltz is absolutely breathtaking.”

“My Tango needs work through,” Victor pointed out, and Yuuri raised his eyebrows. “I could never match your rhythmicality.” 

“We weren’t talking about me now,” Yuuri pointed out, and Victor held himself back from shoulder bumping him. The music started then, and they both sat back to watch, trading comments about the couples on the dance floor. They had insight on different ones, and it was fun getting to know about dancers Victor didn’t know personally, as well as sharing about those he knew himself. A few times he caught Morooka looking at them from behind the judges table, but he ignored it, focusing on Yuuri instead. When they broke for lunch he was quick to suggest they try an Italian place he had seen when he was out with the Baranovskaya studio on the first evening, and Yuuri eagerly agreed. On the way there they talked about Yuuri’s studies in sports medicine, having started his second to last semester this fall, as well as Victor’s studies in business which he had finished two years ago, before coming to work full time at the Baranovskaya studio. Yuuri shared about his family too, his parents running a small business; a spa resort, his sister working there as well. They reached the pizza place, and Victor watched as Yuuri bit into his lip as he read the menu. 

“How about we buy two pizzas and share?” Victor suggested as Yuuri contemplated picking between the one with parma ham and rucola and the one with mushroom and salami. “That way we can have both.”

“Perfect,” Yuuri agreed with a smile, and soon they were seated in an outdoor seating area, blankets pulled over their legs. It was slightly chilly, but the warmers were on, and Yuuri looked very pretty, cheeks pinched with cold, humming happily as he ate slice after slice of the thin crusted pizza. “Don’t tell anyone at the studio I ate so much,” Yuuri laughed as they picked the two final pieces up. “We’re supposed to be on harsh diets.”

“Oh, I won’t reveal your secrets Yuuri,” Victor laughed, whipping his hands on a napkin. “I hope you won’t out me to Lilia either.” 

“Promise,” Yuuri agreed. “This was really good though. I liked them both, so sharing was an amazing idea.”

“I have my bright moments from time to time,” Victor agreed as they stood, starting to make their way back to the conference hall. “I really enjoyed this. It’s been so long since I’ve gone out for pizza. Thank you for coming with me.”

“My pleasure,” Yuuri said in a low voice, looking up at Victor through his dark lashes. They held eye contact for a moment, and Victor’s heart beat harshly in his chest, even after Yuuri averted his eyes. “It was such a good pizza too,” Yuuri said with a wistful smile, one only athletes who had to hold strict diets could sport after indulging in fatty food. “I’m excited to see the afternoon competitions, since it’s moving to the more senior dancers.”

“I am too, it will be interesting to see how my studio mates will do, since there’s been so much drama,” Victor said. “It’s not that I don’t want them to do well, I just think that it’s hard to be compatible on the dance floor if you’re not even being civil off it.” 

“I think so too, I always find dance much easier to perform when I enjoy it, when I’m at peace, not that it happens that often though,” he laughed. “But I'm excited to see Phichit and Chris, since I’ve seen so much of their training. They’ve really grown together, so I’m looking forward to seeing what you think, since you’ve seen Chris dance so many times before.”

They settled in on the same chairs as they had that morning, and Victor did manage to grab a judging form from the judges table as they passed, Yuuri giggling as if they were teenages creating mischief. They used it to grade the dancers and got into heated discussions about some of the pairs they didn’t view the same way. It was all done in high spirits. Yuuri was much more astute than he gave himself credit for, determined and passionate. Victor felt incredibly drawn to him, and the urge to dance together only grew. He didn’t dare to ask though. What if Yuuri said no?

“I’ll see you after dinner?” Yuuri asked as they started packing up, having agreed to disagree with the judges who had won. “I have another performance later, and I- I hope you’ll watch.”

“I wouldn’t dream of missing it,” Victor admitted, and Yuuri bit into his lower lip, keeping his gaze.

“Good, don’t take your eyes off me,” he said, and then he turned, walking away from him, leaving Victor with his heart rushing in his chest. 

* * *

Victor sat with Yura and Otabek during the dinner, along with another pair from Minako’s studio named Kenjirou and Yuuto. Victor felt a little like he was sitting at the kids table, and he was grateful that time seemed to pass fairly quickly, even as he didn’t say much. Yura was thrilled that they had placed well, and Otabek was proud, and Victor remembered the feeling of climbing, chasing, and he missed it. Could Yuuri be open to doing that journey with him? Victor wanted to ask, but he wasn’t sure what was holding him back. He and Yuuri had good chemistry off the dance floor, at least it felt like it when they spent time together, but there was so much unknown about Yuuri’s situation, and that he hadn’t answered Victor’s question about if he wanted to compete or not. What would they do if they decided to work together after all? The more Victor got to know about Morooka and his studio the less he wanted to be associated with it. Would Yuuri be open to moving? Even if he was in college? Would Victor, in case Yuuri would prefer to go back to Minako? He thought he would, even if it would be hard to leave Lilia and Yakov. Maybe he needed change too.

Chris found him after dinner, and he found himself sitting next to him and Phichit through the performance again. Yuuri was part of a group performance this time, and Victor’s heart raced as he smiled on the dance floor, dance steps easy. He really was incredibly graceful and musical. Victor’s eyes were drawn to him as he moved and he really couldn’t look away, even if he wanted to. He needed to act. Tomorrow they would leave, and sure he could get Yuuri’s number or social media and they could talk, but this was a chance too good to pass up. He had to stop being frightened and ask him to dance, no matter how much it really scared him. He wasn’t sure why this was so hard. Victor had never hesitated to ask someone to dance before, but somehow it felt like there was more at stake here. 

The performances ended and Kanako Odagaki thanked them for participating in this event, congratulated all the winners, and gave extra thanks to those who had performed. She then invited them all to join the party that would happen one floor down. 

“Let's go shake our butts,” Phichit cheered, and Victor laughed along with Chris, following the couple down. The room was dimly lit, the music with a low base beat, and Victor could see the crowd thinning from the ones that had been present during the performance. Most of the older dancers, the ones who owned studios or were judges, went down to the bar instead, Victor knew, leaving the younger dancers to relax a bit. He watched as his friends took the dance floor, declining offers to join. He was looking for someone after all. 

“Did you enjoy it?” 

Victor turned with a smile towards Yuuri’s voice, getting an equally bright smile in return. “You were magnificent,” Victor said, and Yuuri beamed. He was in a long sleeved dance shirt, tight and dark, with sequins sewn onto it. It led down into a straight skirt, made of sheer fabric with a long slit up the side. “You look beautiful, Yuuri.”

“You do as well,” Yuuri said. He was leaning in close, just shy of touching, to be heard. “Do you want to dance?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week: A dance - and? 
> 
> Want to read it now? Check out this [twitter post](https://twitter.com/mjaoue/status/1217362304045649920?s=20)
> 
> Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think in the comment section or on other platforms like:  
> [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/linisen) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjaoue)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the final chapter. 
> 
> Thank you again to Cookie, who is so wonderfully warm and bright, helpful and sweet.

Victor’s heart stopped in his chest, and he turned back to Yuuri, catching his eyes. “I want to Waltz,” he said, and Yuuri’s eyebrows raised. “Do you know where we could do that?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed, and then he took a step back, urging Victor to follow. Victor did so easily, leaving the pounding music behind as he followed Yuuri back up to the upper floor. 

“Why do you want to Waltz?” Yuuri asked, looking back at him. Victor bit into his lower lip as he looked down at the floor, gathering courage, before he looked up to meet Yuuri’s eyes again. 

“I have a confession to make,” he said, and Yuuri raised his eyebrows slightly, slowing so they walked next to each other, taking the stairs one step at a time. “I came here partly to meet you.”

“Me?” Yuuri asked in confusion, and blinked as Victor nodded. “Why?”

“Lilia reached out to Minako and asked if she knew someone she thought could be a good fit for me in terms of a dance partner, and she suggested you,” Victor said, and Yuuri snorted. 

“Yeah, she would,” he agreed with a smile. “She’s always had more faith in me than I have. More than is due.”   
“What do you mean by that?” Victor asked as they reached the platform for the upper floor, Yuuri leading the way forward to the competition room. 

“I mean, I’m hardly good enough to partner with you for competition,” Yuuri said, and Victor stopped, looking at him with wide eyes. Yuuri looked back at him quizzically, and Victor’s mind came to a full halt. Oh, he was serious. 

“Yuuri, I absolutely think you are,” he said, and Yuuri sucked in a breath. “I don’t… I don’t understand why you aren’t competing now, if it’s something you would want.”

Yuuri cast his eyes down toward the floor, and Victor stayed quiet. He wanted to know but he didn’t want to pressure Yuuri. The silence stretched, and Victor took a deep breath. “You don’t have to tell me-”

“Hisashi wants us to compete together,” Yuuri started, cutting Victor off, and Victor quieted, feeling a tingling rush over his skin as Yuuri started opening up. “And I don’t want that, I told him as much during the first month after I moved… he’s been very persistent, but I don’t… He makes me uncomfortable, but it’s the only dance school that’s even remotely close, and I love to dance. I can’t  _ not _ dance, so I’ve accepted it, for now.” 

“Yuuri,” Victor said, his heart heavy. So Chris had been right, Yuuri had been held back. “What hinders you from having another partner though?” 

“I’ve tried,” Yuuri said, licking his lips as he paused. “But I- you know how I mentioned my anxiety? With a new partner that’s always so much worse, because I feel like I have to prove myself, and it just continued to grow, and Hisashi, every time there was a try out, he kept pointing it out, how I couldn’t do it, if I didn’t have a more stable partner, like him.” 

“What?” Victor asked, his throat tight as he swallowed. Yuuri looked away. 

“I’m not sure he’s wrong. My anxiety, it does get in the way. I’m weak, and I let it get the best of me when I shouldn’t, when I should be as sharp as I can,” Yuuri pointed out. 

“You danced two beautiful performances this weekend,” Victor tried, and Yuuri looked up, shaking his head. 

“It’s different, there’s not as much at stake then, it’s more for fun,” he said, but Victor could see the pain in his eyes. His own heart ached. 

“Having anxiety doesn’t make you weak, Yuuri. For you to perform the way you do and still have to carry all that, I can’t even imagine, ” Victor said. He didn’t have much experience with it, but he was sure it wasn’t a weakness. “It sounds like someone has told you this, has he?”

“I mean, yes, but.. It’s nothing that I haven’t told myself countless times,” Yuuri said, a sad smile on his lips. “Even before I moved.”

“That’s even worse then, he’s breaking you down,” Victor said, and Yuuri nodded slowly, no hint of surprise or disagreement in his expression. Oh, oh he already knew. Of course he did. 

“The dancing helps so much with the anxiety, and I hoped that he would just move on soon, leave me alone so I can dance, and get back to it -- even if it isn’t competitively.” 

“Do you want to compete?” Victor asked again, and Yuuri looked up at him, a soft smile spreading on his lips, the insanely attractive determination shining in his eyes as he nodded. Victor smiled back. 

“Would you dance with me then?” Victor asked, grin widening. “Try it out; see if you think I’m good enough for someone as amazing as you.” Yuuri laughed and shook his head, some of the tension that had been present in his shoulders relaxing. 

“You’re ridiculous,” he said warmly, and Victor beamed. “Did you mean it? Would you consider it, me being your dance partner?” They started walking towards the competition room again, Yuuri stealing glances his way. 

“Yes,” Victor said without a hint of doubt, and stopped as they reached the door. “Not tonight though, really. Tonight I just want to dance with you, if that’s alright?”

Yuuri looked at him, and a rush of emotions swirled in Victor’s system. He wasn’t even sure what all of them were, but Yuuri had this pull on him, drawing him in, leaving him craving more. 

“I would really enjoy that,” Yuuri agreed, before turning back to the door. “They added this room to my key card,” Yuuri explained as he held his card up, the door unlocking. “They did for everyone who was to perform, so we could practice.” 

“Smart,” Victor said, Yuuri holding the door open for him to step inside. He walked straight ahead, and it wasn’t until he was standing in the middle of the room that he realised that he hadn’t been on the dance floor once since he came here. He turned back, and Yuuri was standing on the side, reaching over to plug in his phone. 

“Any requests for music?” he asked, and Victor’s heart raced as he watched him. His hair was swept back as it had been all weekend, his glasses missing now. He looked effortlessly beautiful still, as he leaned against the booth. 

“You and me,” Victor said, and Yuuri looked up, a soft smile curling on his lips as he nodded, scrolling through his phone for a moment before he stopped, the soft guitar tunes filling the room from the speakers. Victor took a deep breath, and then they moved together to get closer, stopping just inches apart. Victor raised his hand, and Yuuri did too, and it felt oh so right to curve his hand around Yuuri’s waist, Yuuri’s hand landing on his shoulder just as their hands closed around each other’s. Victor’s heart felt like it was going to explode. He couldn’t look away from Yuuri’s brown eyes, even though he knew he should, to keep their faces turned from each other as the dance should be danced. He had never understood couples who struggled with this before, but oh did he now. Yuuri didn’t look away either, and Victor marked, and then stepped forward, Yuuri following beautifully as they started to move. 

“You’re not supposed to look at me,” Yuuri said with a smile, and Victor smiled back, as they flowed over the floor. It felt so easy, with Yuuri in his arms. They kept to simple steps, and Victor was happy with it, he just wanted to be close. 

“I don’t want to look away,” he answered, and Yuuri giggled, turning his head into a proper Waltz position, only to gasp, steps faltering as his grip on Victor grew tighter. Victor stopped as Yuuri did, and then looked at his face, eyes wide, mouth agape as he stared at Victor’s shoulder

“What?” Victor asked, looking to his left where Yuuri’s hand was resting, seeing his soulmate ring burn deep purple. Victor felt as if the world came to a stop, and he snapped his head to the side, to where his own hand was clasped with Yuuri’s, his own ring just as purple. It felt surreal, and Victor looked back, catching Yuuri’s wide eyed gaze. “Yuuri,” he breathed, and a sob ripped up Yuuri’s throat, just as Victor felt his own eyes start to burn. It all made so much sense now, so often orange anxiety swirled in his ring, the more persistent green since Yuuri had moved, the yellow last night. How perfect Yuuri was in his arms as they danced, how funny, and smart and strong and wonderful Victor found him. How much he wanted to be next to him. It all made so much sense now, and Victor felt overwhelmed with happiness, because even though they hadn’t known each other for long, he already knew that this was meant to be, they were meant to be. He had already started to fall for Yuuri, quickly rushing towards the ground as his heart ran away from him

“I- I- Victor,” Yuuri breathed, but he was smiling and Victor moved his hand from Yuuri’s waist to take his hand, pulling it up to his mouth to press his lips to it. Yuuri’s breath hitched and Victor smiled, kissing the ring again. 

“I’m so happy it’s you,” Victor said, and Yuuri nodded, taking a step closer, arms wrapping around Victor's shoulders to pull him close. Victor held him too, arms wound tight around his lithe waist as he simply breathed him in. He felt like his heart was beating out of his chest. Was this truly real? 

“I am too,” Yuuri agreed. “I never thought- I always loved your dancing and I couldn’t stop watching you and- I can’t believe it,” Yuuri said, and Victor could feel his right hand leave his back, Yuuri giggling. 

“Are you looking at the ring?” Victor asked, and Yuuri laughed, pulling back so they could see each other. Yuuri’s eyes were still wet, but no tears flowed down his cheeks. Instead he looked happy, so incredibly happy. 

“Sorry, I just can’t believe it,” Yuuri admitted. “I worried I would never met them, meet you, and then for it to be  _ you _ , after you have said so many wonderful things these past few days and I- I felt so guilty last night because I felt like I was falling so hard for you and I never thought it would be  _ you _ .”

“Yuuri,” Victor breathed, pulling him closer again to rest his forehead against his soulmate’s, looking into those deep, dark eyes. “I’m in love with you too.”

Another sob left Yuuri’s lips, and then he was pressing forwards, and Victor accepted him eagerly, as their lips pressed together. Yuuri’s were warm, a little chapped but soft, and no kiss had ever felt this right. Victor took a deep breath through his nose, and Yuuri let out a content hum, and Victor pressed even closer, his heart rushing in his chest. Yuuri was his soulmate, and Yuuri was in love with him. It was more than he could have ever dreamed of. 

He kissed Yuuri’s upper lip, and then his lower, and then them both, following as Yuuri opened up slowly, kisses deepening as they did. Yuuri was the first to swipe his tongue along the seam of Victor’s mouth, and Victor groaned, feeling heat rush to his gut as he opened up even more, Yuuri’s tongue sliding into his mouth. Victor held him tight, hand roaming up his side, one finding Yuuri’s neck to press him more firmly into the kiss. Victor felt dizzy and overwhelmed, but he didn’t want to stop, he never wanted to stop. 

Yuuri’s hands were tangled in his hair, and they caressed up and down, blunt fingernails against his scalp, and Victor moaned, Yuuri moving away from his mouth to kiss alongside his jaw and neck. Victor trembled. It was all moving so fast, and still Victor wanted more.

“Yuuri,” he breathed, and Yuuri hummed against his skin, sucking lightly at the column of his throat. “Oh yes.”

“Can I continue? Will you be mad if there’s a mark?” Yuuri asked, nipping lightly at the skin, and Victor let out a breathy laugh.

“I will wear it with pride darling,” he said, and then another moan escaped his lips, eyes falling closed once more as Yuuri sucked a mark just above Victor’s shirt collar. “Yuuri, aah.”

“Let’s dance again,” Yuuri said, kissing his way up to Victor’s lips again, and Victor smiled as their mouths pressed together, much more chaste and sweet now. “I want to dance with you more.”

“Yes,” Victor agreed, and moved his hand down to Yuuri’s waist, their hands clasping together. Yuuri’s playlist for Waltz was still playing in the background, and even though they should have leaned their upper bodies away from the other to create more space between them, they didn’t, and even though they should look away from each other, they didn’t. Victor held Yuuri close, and then they moved, slowly but surely around the dancefloor in Waltz steps. Victor couldn’t look away from him. He was so pretty, eyes smiling, lips kiss bitten, cheeks dusted pink. 

“So, do you think you could stand being a dance partner to someone like me?” Victor asked, and Yuuri laughed, nose scrunching up. 

“We’ve barely had a try out,” Yuuri pointed out. “We’ve barely even Waltzed.”

“Ah, good point, I should prove myself,” Victor said, and then pulled back, strengthened his frame, and as soon as he felt Yuuri had too, he swept them across the dance floor. Yuuri laughed again, but they soon fell into it, and even if they fell out of step every now and then, dancing with Yuuri was the most pleasant experience Victor had ever had in his dancing career. It was as if he had been made to fit into Victor’s arms, and in so many ways, he had. 

They moved over to Viennese Waltz next, and then Foxtrot and Quickstep, ending with a Tango. Victor was exhausted as they ended, and Yuuri seemed to be too, even if they were both smiling. 

“So, I’ll ask again then,” Victor said, pulling Yuuri close. They simply swayed to the music now, holding each other as close as they could. They had kicked their shoes off, and it felt strange and yet so intimate, to stand on the big dance floor, in only his socks. His heart raced, because what if Yuuri didn’t feel the same, what if he said no? “Do you think you could consider dancing with someone like me?”

“I don’t think I can consider dancing with anyone else,” Yuuri said, and Victor’s entire body filled with butterflies. “That was one of the most freeing dancing experiences of my life. That was- wow, Victor.”

“Vitya, call me Vitya?” he asked, and Yuuri nodded, pressing up to peck at his lips. “I’m so glad.”

“I don’t know how we will make it work,” Yuuri said slowly, a frown forming on his face. Victor leaned in to press his lips to it, earning a soft hum from Yuuri’s lips. “I still have college.”

“I’ll move,” Victor said simply, and Yuuri drew back, eyes wide. “Do you think Morooka would accept me to come dance with you?” Yuuri’s face was a mix of emotions, as if he was working to process all of Victor had just said and asked. 

“No, I don’t think he would give us a license,” Yuuri said slowly. “Victor you can’t move for me, you speak about Lilia and Yakov like they’re your family.”

“You moved away from your family,” Victor pointed out, and Yuuri nodded, even if his eyebrows pinched. “I just want to be close to you. It doesn’t have to be right away, we can take it slow. I just don’t want to lose you Yuuri. It hurts just thinking about being apart.”

“It does,” Yuuri agreed, pressing even closer. “Can we think about it? Maybe I can talk to him and see.”

“Yes, and I’ll talk to Lilia if that’s okay, see if she has any good ideas about it,” Victor said. He had no idea how they would make it work. His job was at the Baranovskaya studio, and moving would leave him without income, as well as the question of if they would still be able to dance at all with Morooka working against them. Victor wanted Yuuri to have it all, but what if they couldn’t? “I don’t want to be apart from you.”

“I don’t either,” Yuuri said, leaning up for another kiss. Victor pressed his lips to Yuuri’s, smiling as he pulled back. Yuuri’s cheeks were red, and his gaze flickered to the floor, before they met Victor’s again. “Do you have a private room?”

“I do,” Victor said, pushing some stray hairs away from Yuuri’s face. “Would you come with me?” 

“Yes,” Yuuri agreed, and then he went up on his toes again, claiming Victor’s lips in a heated kiss. “I just- I want to be close.”

“I do too,” Victor agreed, and then they gathered their shoes and Yuuri’s phone, walking down to the elevator. Victor’s arm rested around Yuuri’s shoulders, Yuuri’s around his waist, and here, something felt so lovely, right. They rested back against the wall as the elevator took them up, Victor the only one who pressed a button for a floor. 

“I don’t want to go back to mine,” Yuuri said, and Victor looked down at him. “I share with Morooka so…” Yuuri shrugged, and Victor pressed his lips to Yuuri’s hair. 

“You can borrow clothes from me in the morning, if you want,” he said, and then felt something very warm rush through his body by the idea of it, possessive and deep. Yuuri curled closer to his side, pressing a kiss to the underside of his jaw. 

“Perfect,” Yuuri breathed, and Victor’s stomach flipped, unable to hold back from turning to claim Yuuri’s lips fully. Yuuri humed against his lips, and Victor smiled into it. The elevator stopped, and Victor led them towards his room, still tangled together. He tried very hard not to think about the fact that they would be leaving tomorrow, driving in opposite directions, miles and miles apart. He had to let go of Yuuri to pull his key card from his pocket, with them both still holding their shoes with their other hands, but soon the door opened and Yuuri walked inside, Victor following him into the dark doom. He placed the card into the panel on the side, and the dim lights of the hotel room cast it in a soft light. They left their shoes by the door, and Yuuri held out his hand, a soft laughter leaving his lips as he looked down at Victor’s soul ring, purple so stark even in the dim light. 

“You’re so incredibly handsome,” Yuuri said, and Victor stepped closer, curling his free hand around Yuuri’s waist, their tangled hands pressed between them. “This still feels surreal.”

“It does,” Victor agreed, pressing his lips to Yuuri’s forehead. It was like a damn had broken after they had touched the first time, like they couldn’t stop now. Victor loved it. He craved Yuuri’s touch, and it seemed Yuuri felt the same. Yuuri tilted his face up, and Victor leaned in too, claiming his lips once more. Yuuri felt so good against him, and Victor couldn't help but let his hands caress down his sides, feel the warmth of him under his hands. Yuuri moaned and pressed closer, and Victor felt arousal start to rush in his body. Yuuri’s hands were clenching in the fabric of his shirt, and Victor wanted him to tear it off. “Yuuri,” he breathed into the kiss, and Yuuri pulled back to look at him with dark eyes. “Is this okay?”

“Yes,” Yuuri breathed. “Touch me more.” 

Victor moaned, hands moving down to Yuuri’s hips, pressing them tighter together. He could feel Yuuri’s cock against his leg, filling, and Victor rolled his own hips into his groin, tasting the hitched breath as it spilled from Yuuri’s lips. “Can I take this off?” Yuuri asked as he slowly started pulling Victor’s shirt from his pants, and Victor nodded, fingers tangling in Yuuri’s dark hair as Yuuri’s fingers opened the shirt up, pushing it off Victor’s shoulders. His mouth started moving down Victor’s chest, and each kiss felt like a searing mark, and Victor wanted them all, to be painted in Yuuri’s kisses. He let his hands move down, and soon found the zipper at the back of Yuuri’s shirt. 

“Can I help you with this?” he asked, and Yuuri bit down softly into the skin of his chest, startling a moan from Victor’s lips. 

“Please,” Yuuri said, and straightened, his lips finding Victor’s again as Victor slowly pulled it down. He caressed up the sliver of skin exposed on Yuuri’s back once he had pulled the zipper all the way down, and Yuuri shuddered. “Vitya.” 

“Mmh,” Victor moaned against his lips, using both hands to pull the dress from Yuuri’s body, soon landing on the floor in a heap around his feet. Victor broke away from the kiss, his eyes roaming down Yuuri’s beautiful body, only clad in black boxers now. “Wow.” 

He looked up again, and caught Yuuri’s flushed cheeks, the color deepening as he caressed up Yuuri’s bare chest, thumbs stroking over pink nipples. “Oh,” Yuuri breathed, head tipped back. Victor pressed his lips to the exposed column, feeling his cock fill even more. “Oh yes Vitya, more.” 

“You’re so beautiful Yuuri, I want to give you everything,” Victor said, and Yuuri whimpered as Victor sucked a mark into his skin. “Can I take you to bed?”

“I might die if you don’t,” Yuuri breathed, and Victor gripped him tighter. Yuuri seemed to know the cue, pressing up from the floor to wrap his legs around Victor’s waist. He felt wonderful against Victor, skin pressed against skin, his hard cock pressing into Victor’s abdomen. They kissed deeply and wet as Victor walked them the short distance to the bed, putting Yuuri carefully down on the edge. He looked up at Victor with his big, doe eyes, hands gripping Victor’s hips, before his fingers started dancing along the hem of his pants. “Can I take these off?” he asked, and Victor nodded, groaning as Yuuri’s hand caressed over his length. “Mmh, “ Yuuri humed, licking his lips as he started working Victor’s fly open, pushing his pants and underwear down in one go. Victor’s cock sprung free from it's confinement, fully hard and aching. “Oh wow,” Yuuri said, looking back up at Victor as his hand circled this base. “So big, Vitya.”

“Hmmmg,” Victor moaned as Yuuri slowly started stroking him up. “Yuuri, that feels so good.”

“Yeah?” Yuuri asked, lip in between his teeth as he continued to stroke, looking between Victor’s cock and his face for a few minutes, Victor’s gasps filling the room. “Can I take it into my mouth?” he asked, and Victor goaned. 

“Yes, fuck Yuuri,” he moaned, and Yuuri smiled before he leaned in, licking over the flushed head. “Oh yesss.”

“Tatsy,” Yuuri said cheekily, and Victor laughed as Yuuri smiled, before he leaned down again, wrapping his lips around the head of Victor’s cock. The heat felt amazing, and Victor grabbed Yuuri’s shoulder tight, his other hand tangling in the locks of his dark hair. Yuuri kept his eye on him, and then sunk down slowly, taking Victor’s length into his mouth. 

“Aaaah,” Victor moaned, and Yuuri did too, the vibrations lovely around Victor’s length, before he started to bob his head up and down at an even place. “Oh, oh, oh,” Victor moaned, clenching his hand in Yuuri’s hair so not to rock into that amazing heat. Yuuri’s mouth felt like heaven, and he took him so well, pace teasing, pressure just right. “Yuuri, fuck your mouth.” 

Yuuri hummed again, keeping his pace. Victor looked down, the erotic display of seeing Yuuri’s lips stretched around his cock, his hand palming his own cock as he continued to look up at Victor through dark lashes. “Oh, oh solnyshko, you like pleasuring me so much you have to touch yourself?” Victor asked, and Yuuri’s cheeks darked but he pulled off, lips red from being stretched, wet from saliva and precome. He continued to stroke Victor slowly, the hand on his own erection having stopped. 

“You looked so good, felt so good in my mouth, and I’m so hard,” Yuuri said with a smile. 

“Can I touch you?” Victor asked, hands moving to cup his cheeks. Yuuri nodded, letting go of his cock to lean up for a kiss, before he stood. They both pushed Yuuri’s underwear off, and Victor wrapped his hand around Yuuri’s thick cock, stroking slowly. Yuuri’s head tipped back, taking a tight grip on Victor’s upper arms. 

“Oh yesss,” Yuuri breathed, and Victor kissed his lips, sloppy and wet, until Yuuri was whining, his hips rolling into his hand. “More, Vitya, more.”

“What do you want?” Victor asked, and Yuuri moaned again, his fingers digging into Victor’s arms, bruising. 

“I want you in me,” Yuuri breathed into the kiss, and Victor shuddered. “I want to ride you into the mattress.” 

“Yes,” Victor agreed, pulling back from the kiss just slightly. “Get on the bed? I think I have lube and condoms in my bag, but I have to check.”

“Didn’t expect the weekend to end up like this?” Yuuri asked with a breathy laugh, and Victor chuckled as he shook his head. “Me neither,” Yuuri said with a sigh, pulling back from Victor to climb on the bed. He looked so beautiful, hair messy, marks on his throat, hard cock resting against his stomach.

“Be right back,” Victor promised, and hurried to the bathroom to search his toiletry bag. He thanked his past self when he found two condoms and two packets of lube, and grabbed them to make his way back to the bed. Yuuri was laying sprawled across it, head resting on the pillows, hand wrapped around himself as he slowly stroked. He looked far too good to be fair, and Victor’s steps hurried, and he climbed in between Yuuri’s spread legs, the packets discarded on the bed as he kissed up his thighs. 

“Oh that feels so good,” Yuuri said with a sigh, and Victor smiled against his skin, crawling up the expace of his body to kiss his lips again. “Hi lovely,” he breathed, and oh how in love Victor already was.

“You’re gorgeous like this,” he said, and Yuuri smiled, can I suck you off as I prepare you?” 

“Oh yes,” Yuuri agreed with an enthusiastic nod, and Victor smiled into the kiss, before he kissed his way down again. He stopped to suck both of Yuuri’s nipples into hardness, dark and perky, before he made his way down to settle between his legs. He found a packet of lube, pulled Yuuri’s legs up to rest over his shoulders, and slicked his fingers up. His digits found Yuuri’s entrance quickly, with him laying on display like this, and Victor circled his rim as he started to mouth over his cock. “Mmmmh, Vitya,” Yuuri moaned, and Victor took his cock into his mouth from the encouragement, sinking down slowly. Yuuri tasted like salt and musk, and he moaned beautifully as Victor descended, even more so when Victor pushed a finger inside. “Aaaah!”

Victor built a pace, both with his finger and his mouth, and Yuuri’s moans filled his mind as he brought pleasure to him, felt like he could stay there forever, slipping a second finger into Yuuri, smiling around his cock as Yuuri arched off the bed as he caressed over his prostate. “There, there, Vitya aaah.” 

Victor conuntied to curl his fingers just to hear him, his own hips rolling lazily into the bedding. It was impossible not to. Yuuri’s sounds, the way he tasted, the way he felt around his fingers and in his mouth, was driving him mad with want. “Another finger, please I- I- ooh,” Yuuri pleaded, and Victor did as told, three fingers stretching him open as he melted. 

Yuuri pushed at his shoulder, and Victor pulled off his cock, Yuuri’s legs falling from his shoulders as he retreated his fingers from Yuuri’s hole. “You okay?” he asked, but Yuuri was smiling, sitting up to pull him in for a kiss. 

“I’m amazing,” Yuuri said, and Victor smiled too. “Lay down?”

Victor did, Yuuri straddling his hips, finding the condoms on the bed next to them. He placed the remaining packets on the bedside table, opening a condom and then slowly rolled it on. Victor groaned at the touch, hand grabbing the sheets tightly. “That sensitive?” Yuuri asked, and Victor nodded.

“Do you know how crazy you’ve been driving me? God Yuuri, you’re so hot,” Victor said, and Yuuri's smile turned predatory, leaning down to kiss him again, wet and open mouthed. 

“I’ll take care of you then,” Yuuri said against his lips, before he pushed up to sit. His hand held Victor’s cock in place, and then he lined up, pressing the tip in. “Oh fuck.”

“Yes Yuuri,” Victor moaned, and then Yuuri sunk down, taking him in so well. He was slick and tight, and Victor held on even harder to the sheets, so as to hold back from fucking into Yuuri’s wonderful hole. “Oh so good, so good aah.”

“Mmmh,” Yuuri agreed, one of his hands splayed over Victor’s chest as he bottomed out. Victor’s own hands found his strong thighs, and for a moment they simply stayed there, panting, adjusting. “I love seeing my ring on your chest,” Yuuri said with a smile, clenching slightly around Victor. He looked down, and Victor followed his gaze, to his hand on his skin. “Mine. My Victor.”

“Yours, so very yours,” Victor agreed, and Yuuri leaned down to kiss him again, sweet and slow. “I adore you.”

“I’m so happy it’s you. I never wanted it to be anyone but you,” Yuuri said, and then he pushed himself up, starting to rise and fall on Victor’s cock, making them both moan. “I want you to mmh- to feel so good.”

“Oh yes, yes Yuuri so tight, so good,” Victor agreed, and Yuuri gasped, moans filling the room as he bounced on Victor’s length. Victor met his movements as best he could, heels digging into the mattress to gain leverage. His hand wrapped around Yuuri’s cock, and they moved together, pleasure filling Victor’s entire body as Yuuri rolled his hips faster and faster. Sweat beaded on Yuuri’s brow, a flush spilling down from his cheeks, down his chest, and he looked gorgeous, absolutely breathtaking. Victor pushed up, wrapping a hand around his neck to pull him down into a kiss. Yuuri followed, and in the shifted angle Victor fucked into him, Yuuri’s moans becoming louder as Victor snapped his hips up into him. Yuuri’s fingers dug into his sides, and Victor wanted to be able to fuck into him even more, deeper, make sure he was so well pleasured he saw stars. “Hold on,” he breathed, and then rolled them, Yuuri landing on his back, thighs wrapped around Victor's hips. 

“Oh,” Yuuri gasped, and Victor wasted no time, snapping his hips into Yuuri again. He felt like he was dizzy, mind hazy with lust and pleasure and the need to make Yuuri gasp and moan. He pushed himself up, pulling one of Yuuri’s legs up to his shoulder, his right hand pressing the other thigh to the side. He could see his ring against Yuuri’s skin, and his stomach flipped. Yuuri was right, there was nothing quite like this feeling. “Vitya please,” Yuuri gasped, clenching around him, and Victor realised he had been staring. 

“Sorry love,” he said, and then leaned forward, Yuuri’s hand coming to rest on his chest. “I’ll make sure you’re taken care of now.” He pulled his hips back, and snapped in again, Yuuri’s back arching as he moaned. Victor set up a brutal pace, hips snapping faster and faster until Yuuri was wailing, and Victor felt so tightly wound that he would come any second now. 

“Close, close,” he breathed, and Yuuri nodded between breathy whines. Victor pulled back just slightly, wrapping his hands around Yurui’s cock again to stroke him, his own cock moving in and out of him, hitting Yuuri’s prostate just right. 

“Vitya, Vitya aaah,” Yuuri moaned, and just as Victor felt he couldn’t last a second longer Yuuri’s toes curled, and he arched on a long breath, before he came, trembling and shaking, clenching down hard on Victor’s cock as he spurted come over his own chest and Victor's hand. There was no holding back then, and Victor felt his vision white out as pleasure rushed through his body, wave after wave of sensation filling him as he pulsated into Yuuri, filling the condom with his come. He gasped, just barely catching himself with both of his hands on either side of Yuuri’s head, his ears ringing, fingertips tingling. 

Yuuri’s eyes were heavily lidded, but he smiled, wrapping his arms around Victor’s shoulders. “Come down here to me,” he breathed, voice hoarse, and Victor went oh so easily, collapsing onto his chest, sweaty and sticky and euphoric. 

“Wow,” Victor breathed, and Yuuri laughed, fingers caressing through Victor’s hair, into his scalp, and Victor melted into him. “That was so good.”

“Yes,” Yuuri agreed, and Victor rolled them to the side, only so he could kiss him. “That was so much better than I ever had before.”

“You’re amazing, did I already tell you that? I should have, many many times,” Victor said sleepily, and Yuuri giggled. He was so pretty, smiling and happy, still flushed. “Cleaning up?”

Yuuri agreed, and they were a tangled mess tumbling into the shower, cleaning each other off, washing each other’s hair. Victor had never felt so pampered as he did with Yuuri’s hands caring for him, and when they fell back into bed, dry and clean, still bare, he felt more content than he ever had. Yuuri brought Victor’s soulring to his mouth and kissed it, and Victor did the same, before settling into each other’s sides, close, so close. 

“Let’s not separate tomorrow,” Yuuri whispered, fingers dancing slowly over Victor’s hip. Victor met his gaze, heart beating hard in his chest. “I don’t know how I just- I don’t think I can go back there, not without you.”

“I’ll come with you then,” Victor said, and Yuuri frowned. Victor kissed it, and waited, hoping Yuuri would open up.

“I’m not sure I want to go back,” he finally said.

“You want to sleep on it, and decide in the morning?” he asked, and Yuuri held his gaze for a long moment, before nodding, pulling Victor closer to rest against his chest. “Good night, Yuuri.”

“Good night, my Victor.”

____________________

  
  


They woke from Victor’s phone ringing, and Victor groaned, clinging to Yuuri tighter. Yuuri seemed to agree with him, a similar sound rumbling from his chest as he cuddled closer. Victor’s phone quieted, but it was only for a moment, before it started again. 

“Maybe you should get it,” Yurui mumbled, and Victor sighed, pressing a kiss to the part of Yuuri’s skin that was closest to his mouth from their tangled embrace, which happened to be his chin, before regretfully pulling away from bed. He took slow, sleepy steps from the bed, his phone going quiet and starting ringing again as he made his way over. Chris' name flashed over the screen, and Victor frowned, pressing ‘answer’ as he made his way back. 

“Ellom,” Victor said sleepily, resting back into bed, Yuuri curling up to his side. He was so lovely. 

“Victor, are you up? Have you seen Yuuri?” Chris asked, his voice slightly winded. “He didn’t get back to his room last night and one of the younger dancers said they saw you and Yuuri talking at the beginning of the party, and no one has seen him since.”

“Yes Yuuri’s here,” Victor said as soon as Chris stopped rambling, smacking his lips a little. “He’s very safe. We went to dance and then we came back here. Everything is fine.”

“Oh thank god,” Chris breathed. “He’s with Victor!” Chris called, clearly meant for the people on the other side of the phone. “Thank you Victor, he didn’t have his phone with him and we all just got worried something happened.” 

“No worries, you only disrupted my beauty sleep,” Victor yawned, and he felt Yuuri smile against the skin of his chest. Victor smiled too, fingers starting to draw patterns on his bare back, their legs tangled. 

“Like you need it,” Chris scoffed, and Victor scoffed back. 

“You want to talk to him?” he asked, and Yuuri looked up from where he had been nested against Victor’s chest, brown eyes blinking sleepily. 

“Yeah, yeah that might be good,” Chris said, and Victor nodded, turning to Yuuri. 

“Chris wants to know you’re alive,” he said, and Yuuri sighed, taking the phone from Victor to press against his ear. 

“Yes, I live,” Yuuri said, his voice still thick with sleep. Victor took the opportunity to look at him, how wonderful he was in the soft light spilling from the crack between the blinds and window. “No, no I- yes. Yes Phichit.”

Oh, so the phone seemed to have changed users now. Victor rolled them over, Yuuri on his back, Victor’ straddling his hips, and then started kissing slowly down his neck and sternum, hands caressing Yuuri’s sides. Yuuri smiled lazily, fingers carding through his hair. “Of course. No- No I- He’s my soulmate, Peach.” 

Victor ginned widely, crawling up to press his lips to Yuuri’s in a kiss. He could hear Phichit shouting through the phone and Yuuri simply grinned, leaning up so Victor would kiss him again. Victor did, chaste and sweet, before retreating. Yuuri looked so happy underneath him, black hair like a halo around his head. “Okay, I’ll be down shortly. I need to stop by my room first. Okay. Mhm. Bye.”

Yuuri pulled the phone from his ear and then looked up at Victor, both of them smiling. “Soulmate,” Victor said, the word alone making his heart flip. “Yuuri Katsuki, my soulmate.”

“Soulmate,” Yuuri agreed, and leaned up to kiss him again, lingering and sweet, before pulling away with an apologetic look. “I would love to stay here, but if I don’t get down there soon Phichit will come up and demand answers, and I really need to step by my room and get my glasses. Sleeping with my lenses in was a bad idea.” 

“Alright,” Victor agreed, kissing his lips again, and then once on the cheek, before rolling off. “You want me to come?”

“Yes,” Yuuri ageed, cheeks flushing. “If you want?”

“I do,” Victor agreed, and after a few more kisses, they managed to pull away from the bed. Victor found Yuuri some clothes, a pair of sweatpants and a soft sweater, dressing himself in jeans and a hoodie with the Baranovskaya logo on. Yuuri looked incredibly cute in his clothes, and Victor had to really focus when packing up his belongings, so as not to get distracted. 

They walked hand in hand to the elevator, earning a few stares from other dancers they met. They didn’t run into any they knew, and soon they were on Yuuri’s floor, going up against the stream of people going down for breakfast. The room was empty, and Yuuri packed his own things, swapping his lenses for glasses, and smiled sweetly when Victor urged him to keep his clothes on instead of changing into his own. Yuuri took his duffle bag with him, and then they made their way back to the elevator, Victor’s arm around Yuuri’s shoulders, Yuuri’s resting around his back. The elevator was empty, and Yuuri leaned close, leaving another kiss pressed to Victor’s jaw. It reminded Victor so much of last night, and yet so much was different now. 

“Are you nervous?” Victor asked, and Yuuri nodded. He could see as much in his ring already, but the pink love and purple soulmate color was much more prominent than the orange anxiety. 

“Are you?” he asked as he looked up, and Victor stroked his cheek. 

“I’m excited,” Victor admitted, and Yuuri let out a slow breath, kissing him once more just as the elevator arrived. They stepped out while still tangled together, meeting a large welcoming committee as they arrived. Victor wasn’t quite prepared for most of the seniors from the Baranovskaya studio, along with Mianko’s and Morooka’s studio to be there, but apparently they were. News seemed to travel fast. 

“Ring!” Phichit demanded as soon as they stepped off, and Yuuri held his hand straight up, the purple stark and clear. Victor wiggled his fingers on Yuuri’s shoulder, not ready to let go, and a loud shriek left Phichit’s lips as he started to bounce around. “Congratulations!” he shouted, and then there was an array of people coming up to see, to congratulate, to hug and gush and give well wishes. 

“This worked out better than expected,” Lilia said slyly, and Victor rolled his eyes. Her expression softened, and she lowered her voice, glancing around as he leaned in. “We’ll figure it out Vitya, you’ll make it work.” Their eyes met as she pulled back, and he smiled gratefully towards her, letting out a slow breath as she gave a nod. Eventually it all seemed to die down, and they were finally able to move into the breakfast room to eat, joined by Sara and Georgi, Chris, Phichit, Leo and Guang Hong. 

“How are you doing?” Victor asked, and Yuuri looked over, looking slightly pale. 

“Okay, it’s overwhelming,” he admitted. “I’m glad it will be over soon.”

“Can I do anything?” Victor asked, but Yuuri shook his head. 

“Having you close helps, it’s just so much with everyone knowing and staring,” Yuuri explained, and Victor agreed, focusing on his food. He wanted to ask Yuuri if he had made a decision yet, but he didn’t want to pressure him, especially not now with how much attention they were getting. They were almost finished with their food when someone approached, laying a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. Yuuri flinched, and Victor felt his jaw clench as he looked up and saw Morooka.

“Yuuri,” he said calmly, not looking at Victor. “A word.”

“Alright,” Yuuri agreed, and then he turned back to Victor, placing a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

“You want me to come with you?” he asked feeling anxious about Yuuri going alone, but Yuuri shook his head. “Call me if you need me?”

“Yes,” Yuuri agreed with a soft smile, and then he stood, leaving Victor with his tea cup, trying not to look over to where the men walked out, disappearing out of view as they left the breakfast room. 

“Morooka went crazy when Yuuri wasn’t there this morning, we all got spooked but yeah, I think he worried this might have happened,” Chris said, and Victor nodded, biting into his lip as he looked at the door. If Morooka was in love with Yuuri, this must be his worst nightmare. Victor kept glancing to the door, unable to keep track of the conversation even though his friends did their best to keep him occupied. Minutes passed, and just as Victor was about to stand to go look, Yuuri appeared in the door again. His expression was hard set, and Victor stood to meet him, catching his eyes. Yuuri took a breath, his expression softening, and then he took off running. Victor laughed and then Yuuri flung himself at him, lips pressed together as Victor caught him. 

“Yuuri,” he breathed against Yuuri’s lips, and Yuuri kissed him deeper, more. Victor pulled back, and Yuuri looked down at him, smiling. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” he agreed, pressing his lips to Victor's cheeks, his jaw, his nose. “He made it very easy to choose to come with you.” 

“Wait, what?” Victor asked, putting Yuuri down slowly. “What happened?”

“He forbade me to dance with you, said I was his, and really, he can’t decide that,” Yuuri said simply, cupping Victor's cheek. “Only I get to decide that.” 

“Yes,” Victor agreed with a laugh. He adored seeing all these sides of Yuuri, determined, impulsive, sure. “What about college?” 

“I’ll work it out, see how I can do it as smooth as possible. It will be worth it. I don’t want to part,” he said, licking his lips. “Can I come home with you, Vitya?”

“Yes,” Victor agreed immediately, pulling him close to kiss him again. They went back to gather Victor’s bag, and then they both said goodbye to their friends, before settling down into the bus. This was impulse, crazy and maybe a bit dumb, but as Yuuri settled into his side, sharing his earphones with Victor to play him music, Victor couldn’t care at all. He looked at Yuuri’s ring, purple as he played with the strings to the earphones, and Victor had to bring it up to his mouth and kiss it again. It would be hard work, he was sure, but he wanted this, he’d never wanted anything more than this. 

“I love it here,” Yuuri said, pressing closer, and Victor's heart ached wonderfully. They said soulmates were almost always drawn to each other, felt most at ease in each other’s arms, and craved being close. It was lucky then, that Victor could keep Yuuri in his embrace, both on and off the dance floor. “Tell me what your apartment is like?” he asked, and Victor tangled their fingers together, and started describing their home. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think in the comment section or on other platforms like:  
> [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/linisen) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjaoue)


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